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In the smallest field yet, four Republican White House hopefuls – Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – participated in the fourth presidential debate.
In a debate that saw former President Donald Trump missing, the presidential contenders’ arguments were heavily laced with personal attacks.
Here are some takeaways from the final primary debate of 2023:
- 01
Nikki Haley faces repeated attacks
Haley was the subject of repeated attacks, as DeSantis sought to blunt her momentum just weeks before the party’s first nominating contest in Iowa. The two rivals were vying to emerge as the chief alternative to the absent former President Donald Trump, who has maintained a commanding lead in opinion polls ahead of Iowa’s January 15 contest.
“She caves anytime the left comes after her, anytime the media comes after her,” DeSantis said of Haley during the first answer of the evening, as he sought to explain why voters should back him despite Trump’s dominant position.
DeSantis accused Haley of not supporting a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, something she denied. Ramaswamy hit Haley on her support from Wall Street donors and her time on the board of Boeing Co. “It adds up to the fact that you are corrupt,” he said. It became a theme Ramaswamy stayed with during the course of the evening, even at one point holding up a handmade sign that read “Nikki = Corrupt.”
Haley defended her work for Boeing and mocked her rivals. “In terms of these donors that are supporting me, they’re just jealous,” Haley said. “They wish that they were supporting them.”
DeSantis also sought to frame Haley as part of the establishment wing of the Republican Party, which has lost currency in the era of Trump.
Haley, who called Ramaswamy “scum” at the last debate, said it was “not worth my time to respond” after he called her corrupt.
It’s no mystery why the establishment is propping up @NikkiHaley & why her Super PAC puppet masters are now bidding for her services again:
+ Her family income *tripled* in her first 5 years after her first election in 2004
+ Took hundreds of thousands $$ in gifts while governor… pic.twitter.com/lzrY9myxBe— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 7, 2023
- 02
Contenders steer clear of attacks on Trump
Aside from Christie, who has put criticisms of Trump at the center of his campaign, none of the candidates on stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, appeared willing to go after the front-runner directly, a reflection of Trump’s continued popularity among the Republican base.
Asked about Trump’s comments at a Fox News town hall on Tuesday that he would not be a dictator during a second term, except on “day one,” Christie called him “an angry, bitter man” intent on retribution and repeatedly demanded DeSantis say whether he believes Trump is fit for office.
DeSantis deflected several times, instead referring to the 77-year-old Trump’s age and arguing the presidency is better suited for someone younger. Haley also offered only muted criticism, saying Trump represented “chaos” and blaming him for adding billions of dollars to the national debt.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NewsNation. (AP) - 03
Christie defends Haley
As Ramaswamy and DeSantis rained blows on Haley, Christie was the only one to defend her, calling Ramaswamy “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.”
Republican presidential candidates former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, talking with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, right, during a commercial break at a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NewsNation. (AP) - 04
Gaza and Ukraine conflict, US southern border among topics of discussion
The debate saw discussions of the Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict and the U.S. southern border. Ramaswamy, a staunch isolationist, was alone in arguing the U.S. should end its support for Ukraine against Russia. He took aim at Haley, who has emphasized her foreign policy credentials, saying that experience “is not the same as wisdom.”
- 05
Capitol riot was inside job: Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy claimed the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters was an “inside job” and that the 2020 election was stolen.
- 06
Christie’s ‘Harry Potter reference
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie chastised his fellow debaters for being too timid to take on the frontrunner Trump. In a Harry Potter reference, Christie compared Trump to the evil wizard Voldemort, saying his on-stage rivals were too scared to say Trump’s name out loud and make a robust case against his re-election.
As the debate progressed, Christie was indeed the only candidate to really lambaste the former president, calling him a dictator and a bully. “I’m in the race because the truth needs to be spoken. He is unfit,” Christie said.
- 07
Haley attacks Trump over fentanyl, other issues
Haley said Trump didn’t do enough to stop the flow of fentanyl from China into the U.S. “This is where Trump went wrong,” Haley said. “Trump was good on trade, but that’s all he was with China.” She also lashed out at Trump for not preventing Chinese interests from purchasing U.S. land.
DeSantis used the issue to attack Haley and said nothing abut Trump, blasting her for encouraging Chinese investment when she was governor of South Carolina and again suggesting that she was in the pocket of “Wall Street liberal donors.”
- 08
Ramaswamy’s attacks get personal
Ramaswamy, who sits in fourth place in most national polls and has frequently attacked his rivals at previous debates, appeared to poke fun at Christie’s weight, while referencing a past scandal in which allies of the former governor closed a bridge to exact retribution on political rivals. “Chris, your version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York,” Ramaswamy said. “So do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race.”
In a discussion about foreign policy, Ramaswamy said he was happy to get his three-year-old son to help Haley find Israel on a map. He also challenged Haley to name three Ukrainian provinces that he claimed his 3-year-old could identify.
- 09
Contenders divided over transgender rights
Transgender rights, barely on the national radar in the last presidential election, saw Haley defending her decision as erstwhile governor to decline to support a law that would have limited bathroom use to a person’s gender assigned on their birth certificate.
As Florida governor, DeSantis insisted he did more to crack down on transgender rights than anyone on stage. “I stood up for little girls, you didn’t,” he chided Haley. DeSantis also offered a fiery argument for laws that block parents from allowing their children to receive transgender-related medical treatment.
With inputs from agencies
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